Connie Cowan, (SisterSue #4283) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a beginner level Backyard Farmer badge.

"We started our chicken flock! My husband helped construct the coop with all 'found' materials from our place and neighbors. We also acquired 4 laying hens this week from some friends who need to stop with the chickens for awhile. The hens are very healthy, and we have been feeding them (as were the previous owners) organic feeds, plus scraps from our garden and kitchen. We got our first egg 2 days ago!!

This will be an ongoing process, we hope the girls settle in to their new digs soon. We also are in the process of building a chicken tractor to let the hens roam in the garden area, but in a controlled manner. Once they are acclimated to our acreage we plan to free range them."

Connie Cowan, (SisterSue #4283) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning an intermediate level Shopping Green badge.

"I researched non toxic cleaners for our home.

I first filled a spray bottle (recycled) of bathroom cleaner from vinegar and water. I also use this for windows/mirrors. I use newspaper instead of cloth and once it dries it can still be recycled.I also found another cleaner:General purpose cleaner for kitchen, bathroom and more -1 teaspoon liquid Castille soap1 teaspoon borax or baking soda3 drops essential oil (I used orange)1 quart warm water. Can also add 1 cup of vinegar for 'greasy' cleanup!"

Connie Cowan, (SisterSue #4283) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a beginner level Birds badge.

"Purchased a Texas birding book, and found that there are MANY birds that are here year round, and even more that migrate through. We have a nice variety of sparrows, finches and jays. I have several pair of cardinals that visit our yard often. We also have regular visits from mockingbirds, wrens and lots of white winged and rock dove.

My long time 'wish list' bird to view was the Painted Bunting. There is a photo of one on the front of my birding book and I finally saw one in person!! I saw it in a neighbor's yard, now to lure them to our feeder."

I built the fountain with a 50 gallon stock tank from Tractor Supply, piled the edge with rocks from our property. I added a submersible pump that was recycled from a family member. The rock area and plants were there already, it was a succulent garden, but we had installed the electricity a few years ago for a fountain. I finally just did it!! This merit badge was the motivation. In the background is the arbor my husband built, the cedar we collected from our property, and sitting on the stump is an old turkey feeder that we found at a junk store. The birds (and squirrels) love it."

Rebecca Ashley, (rashley1180 #2018) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a beginner level Community Action badge.

"The viaduct that goes over the railroad tracks and through my neighborhood is very old and poorly maintained. Chunks of concrete routinely fall off into the street below. The city and highway department are eventually going to replace it. They have been arguing for at least a decade about the route. There were 3 proposed routes, two of which cut directly through my neighborhood and would tear down many historic homes. This is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. The new viaduct would be five lanes wide and have berms on either side. It would effectively divide the neighborhood and completely change the feel and sense of community that exists on the West Side. The third would skirt the neighborhood and only tear down 2 houses. A group in our neighborhood was working to convince the city council to choose the route that would go around the neighborhood. I signed their petition and researched all the options to make an informed choice.

A good many of the people that signed the petition and the entire neighborhood group attended the city council meeting. Several people got up and expressed their concerns about the routes that went through the neighborhood. I attended the meeting. The group presented their case for the route that went around the neighborhood. The city council voted and the route we were in favor of passed by one vote! I was really impressed at the way they presented the information and that the city council actually voted the way their constituents wanted. The system actually worked for once!"

Rebecca Ashley, (rashley1180 #2018) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning a beginner level Get It Together badge.

"My sister just moved our of my house. We've lived together for 12 years. Needless to say, when she left with all of her things they kitchen needed a big overhaul. I went through all the cupboards and cleaned everything. I wiped them all out and completely rearranged. I got rid of any of the old or broken items and anything I don't use any more. I donated the items to a charity garage sale we were having for our MS Walk team.

With everything cleaned, organized and rearranged I ended up with too much cupboard space! I may have to get some new things to go in them. It's a great feeling to have everything exactly how you want it, in a clean & organized manner."

Rebecca Ashley, (rashley1180 #2018) has received a certificate of achievement in Make It Easy for earning a beginner level In the Garden badge.

"I've made most of my own trellises. The person I bought the house from had a remodeling business. He left all sorts of materials behind that I've re-purposed. I've made trellises for the peas and cucumbers out of the green metal fence posts and chicken wire. They're pretty standard. I made one for my grape vine out of an old crib left over from our garage sale. It worked great. I just pushed the legs down into the ground after it rained so it was really easy.

They all worked pretty well. The one from the crib is actually the best so far. I'm a bit worried that the legs may eventually rot. But I'll worry about that when it happens. I only added one length of chicken wire to the one the peas are growing on but they're doing so well this year that I need to go add another. I need to work on how to put the metal posts in the ground because they tend to lean a bit by the end of summer. I'll get it all figured out eventually!"

Colina Washburn, (rubyleesmom #3408) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a beginner level Families Forever badge.

"Since moving out to our farm a little over a year ago, we have not had any kind of cable television.. only in recent months did we purchase an antenna so we could at least watch the news, etc. For 3 months last year, my two teenage nephews lived with us and fmaily game night was most every night of the week! We have a nice wooden gaming set with Monopoly, Sorry, Checkers, Chess and a couple other games all in one that became our best friend. We also played games like Candyland and Memory with my 5 year old daughter. As for the reading part of earning this badge, my daughter has been learning to read and sound out words so we always read a story together before bed and encouraging her to help.

I think having a family game night is a wonderful thing for any family to do. It brought us so much closer together and it was an excellent opportunity to provide some much needed companionship and bonding time with my nephews as it was a bit of a dramatic time in their life."

Lee Anne Johnson, (AnnieJohnson #4280) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a beginner level Backyard Farmer badge.

"We have kept a small flok of hens for years. This year our girls are two and in their prime egg-laying season. Each day we collect eggs and pet the hens a bit, then turn them out to peck around the yard. At nightfall, they go back in the pen to roost all on their own.

Kari Workman, (Kari22 #4322) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning an intermediate level Shopping Green badge.

"We have used up all toxic cleaning supplies in our home and now use baking soda, vinegar, lemon peels, and other various homemade cleaners. My favorite thing is a wood cleaner I make with water, vinegar, and a splash of oil to really shine up our floors.

Mary Whatley, (flowerfairy136 #4195) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning a beginner level Get It Together badge.

"I went through my kitchen cabinets and got rid of everything I didn't use. It was amazing how many Cool Whip containers and butter tubs had accumulated over the years. I hated to throw them away because it seemed so wasteful but then I never actually used them once I had saved them so there they sat, but luckily my neighborhood finally got a recycling program about a year and a half ago so I decided it was high time to do some organizing. I recycled everything I didn't want, use, or need, then I organized everything that was left so that everything stacks nicely inside each other and is easy to sort through for what I need.

I wish I had done it sooner! It's so nice to be able to open the cabinet for what I need and not be bombarded by an avalanche of plastic! Plus I have TONS more space than I used to have."

Kristi Groth, (Kristi #3407) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a beginner level Sew Wonderful badge.

"I have always had a sewing kit. To earn this badge I took stock of my supplies and put them together in a kit. I was fortunate to have inherited my Grandmother's sewing kit. My homemade pinkeep is a biscornu pattern worked with an embroidery guild I am a part of.

It turned out well. It was almost too easy it seemed, since this is a hobby I have nurtured for many years."

Kristi Groth, (Kristi #3407) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an intermediate level Sew Wonderful badge.

"I have learned to sew a straight seam with both machine and by hand, as well as French and flat seams. This was a bit of challenge.

It did turn out successful, though a bit difficult as most of my sewing experience is hand work, mostly embroidery. I have applied the techniques I have learned to various projects and have been pleased with the results."

Mary Whatley, (flowerfairy136 #4195) has received a certificate of achievement in Make It Easy for earning a beginner level Make It Pretty badge.

"I was sitting at the Dining room table and looking at our place settings that are very Farmgirl-y, they have old watering cans with plants grown over them and birds and butterflies all over the place. As I was sitting there I started drawing doodles and tried copying one of the birds and when I was done it looked a little more cartoony than what I was copying it off of but I thought it actually looked pretty good.

I have it in my kitchen and I'm kinda proud of it. It makes me wanna try to sketch more stuff and see how they turn out."

Kari Workman, (Kari22 #4322) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a beginner level Sew Wonderful badge.

"I'm using an old tackle box for my sewing kit. I've included all of the things listed plus some craft glue, clear rulers, snaps, and a couple of extra zippers. My pinkeeper is made from fabric scraps.

Kari Workman, (Kari22 #4322) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an intermediate level Sew Wonderful badge.

"I've made two bags this week to practice sewing. One of them I learned how to do a French seam. I used scrap material to learn a flat seam. I knew how to do a straight seam by hand and machine already.

The flat seam was a bit tricky for me. I really like the French seam though as the finish is so much nicer and I love hidden seams!"

Emily Hack, (alterationsbyemily #2951) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning an intermediate level Green Energy badge.

"I have been keeping track of our electric bill, so far the highest it has been $387 for one month! I first started by switching our energy supplier. I found out I was paying the highest amount for our energy possible and switched us to a handful of discounts. We also are switching out all of our light bulbs for energy efficient ones. I also review how much we were using in gas for our cars every month.

Some of the numbers were eye opening, especially a month of gas. I started to lump my errands in one day, having an organized plan, store by store. I started by using my line outside to hang dry clothes, this cut my bill down to $195 a month, that is a lot of laundry to save money. The new bulbs are saving us lots too. I am very interested to find out what our bills are going to be this winter."